Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz., left, and Bishop George V. Murry of Youngstown, Ohio, right, pose for a photo with Chaldean Auxiliary Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Baghdad at a church in the Iraqi capital in early October. The American prelates visit came at the invitation of Iraqi bishops and was meant to be sign of solidarity with the countrys Christian community. (photo: CNS/courtesy Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas)

16 Nov 2011  by Mark Pattison

BALTIMORE (CNS) — The nation and American
Catholics both can help keep Iraq from sliding into chaos
once U.S. troops leave the country at the end of the year,
said two U.S. bishops who visited Iraq for four days in
October.

The U.S. withdrawal of combat troops does not
reduce the obligation to help, principally to protect Iraqis and provide assistance), said Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of
Tucson, Ariz., chairman of the board of Catholic Relief
Services, during a Nov. 15 press briefing during the U.S.
bishops fall general meeting in Baltimore.

It would be extremely important for our
government to participate in an orderly transition. ... The
great fear right now is if the troops leave, the violence will intensify, Bishop Kicanas said, adding the United States
must make sure peoples lives are protected and violence doesnt erupt.

The American public needs to be sold on the
necessity of providing sufficient aid to Iraqis in a time of budget crunches, said Bishop George V. Murry of
Youngstown, Ohio, who accompanied Bishop Kicanas to
Iraq.

It becomes a matter of not putting Iraq out of our
minds once the soldiers have returned, Bishop Murry
said. Along with the pain that we went through and the number of men and women who have lost their lives, we
talked about going into Iraq to liberate Iraq from years of
oppression.

That liberation is not just the physical removal of Saddam Hussein, but we have to give them the
opportunity to live their lives with dignity, with freedom
and with hope.

Bishop Murry said that to aid Iraq he envisioned a
modern-day version of the Marshall Plan, which helped
to rebuild Europe after the Second World War.

When something comes up that our country and
other countries consider important we do find the money,
he said. Iraq is suffering from the results of the war. The United States and the nations that joined with it in the war can help Iraq rebuild their infrastructure and rebuild their country.

Bishop Murry added, We have to be open to
Iraqi refugees coming to this country, and to countries in
Western Europe.

Iraqi-Americans and Iraqis living in Jordan have
complained about the U.S.s slow pace of processing and rejection of immigration requests for reasons they cannot comprehend.

The size of the Christian minority in Iraq,
principally Chaldean Catholics, has shrunk since the war.
While there had been an estimated 100,000 Christians in
the capital city of Baghdad, Bishop Murry said he was
told only 4,000 remain today.

We have focused so much on disengaging form
Iraq and getting our soldiers back to our families, he said. Our president and our Congress have to realize theres more to the question than bringing the soldiers hope. Were leaving a country thats in very difficult straits and they need our help more than ever before.